On her second album, Londoner Raye delivers a sentimental 73-minute autobiography, carried by a titanic voice and an innate sense of melodrama. That’s a lot — and that’s precisely what makes it strong.
The perfect recipe for an emotional crisis, in short. But for Raye, it turns out to be just an ordinary evening. “I Will Overcome” sets the tone: a motivational speech she addresses to herself, declaring “It’s a song to remind me / Since I needed it / I will overcome.” » She comes home alone, counting her steps – her phone has run out of battery for a few drinks – then organizes a solitary nighttime party: Edith Piaf records, chocolate cake, jumping on the bed. “It’s funny”she muses, “Some people say I remind them of Amy. » Which is not surprising, as she consciously targets the Winehouse legacy in many ways.
Spies of the heart in nocturnal London
His best pieces are his witty tales of sentimental espionage in nocturnal London. “The South London Lover Boys” warns against a seducer who displays flirtation — “I’m too toxic for you, darling”he tells her, and she melts — to bouncy, brassy pop jazz. “He will arrive in a black car”she sings, “and will start reading poems to you through the window. »
She faces a similar opponent in “The WhatsApp Shakespeare”who conquers her heart before burning her with his “weapons of mass seduction”. She is a Juliet who falls head over heels for this Romeo, only to discover that she is only one of the seven main actresses “from this new romantic thriller, signed The WhatsApp Shakespeare Killer”.
She has the support of her producers, including Chris Hill, Tom Richards and Pete Clements. “Click Clack Symphony” is an ode to clicking heels on the pavement, as she and her friends go on a nighttime joyride, orchestrated by soundtrack composer Hans Zimmer. But “Winter Woman” is the tearful side: the return alone after a failure in the club, with a stop at the gas station for a bottle of gin. “Skin & Bones” picks up the tempo with clever nods to Aretha Franklin's 1970s soul (“Rock Steady”) and Taana Gardner's 1980s disco (“Heartbeat”).
Family duets and living legends
“Goodbye Henry” pays homage to vintage Memphis R&B with the album's biggest surprise: a duet with legend Al Green himself. Raye, never stingy with dramatic effects, offers him a flamboyant introduction: “Ladies and gentlemen! » “Hello, hello, I hope you are well! » Reverend Green greets her. “It’s nice to be on the microphone with a story to tell. » (Drummer Mike Brooks adds an impressively precise backbeat, worthy of Al Jackson Jr.)
She sings a duet with her grandfather in “Fields” — she calls him to ask him if he also knows this loneliness — and interprets “Joy” with her sisters Amma and Absolutely.
The inevitable comparison
The obvious comparison would be with West End Girl by Lily Allen, another concept album about heartbreak that captured the collective imagination by seeing a big narrative side, stretching the story piece by piece. Both Allen and Raye challenge the listener to follow the twists and turns, defying all conventional wisdom about the attention span of today's audiences. Both albums are scathingly honest about cheating exes. But where Allen chronicles the setbacks of marriage, divorce and parenthood, Raye's terrain is that of first love and the throes of romantic life in the twenties. (If she thinks it's hard not having a husband, she'd do well to consult Allen about what it's like to have one.)
She begins “Nightingale Alley” by words “This is a song about the biggest heartbreak I have ever experienced”when we're halfway through the album and she's already suffering double-digit numbers of heartbreaks on the all-time chart.
Excess as manifest
Raye takes mischievous pride in making the album much, much, much longer than it needs to be. That's part of the charm — there's something stubborn about the way he delights in testing your patience. In his farewell ” END “it completes the cinematographic atmosphere by launching “Generic!” » then reading the album's full production notes for four minutes. There's no shortage of filler, fancies, anecdotal bits and homilies about lessons to be learned, though even duds like “Lifeboat” are clearly personal and sincere. Do you want to accuse her of being complacent? She's one step ahead of you.
But complacency is precisely the point of This Music May Contain Hopeand the album wouldn't work at all without its flamboyant grandiosity. “The cold never lasts, my darlings”she announces. “It simply teaches the heart how to burn. » Let's hope Raye keeps this fire going for a long time to come.
